Fireplace with supplemental draft means



Feb. 14, 1950 w. v. BARBER 2,497,486

FIREPLACE WITH SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT MEANS Filed Nov. 5, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 14, 1950 w. v. BARBER FIREPLACE WITH SUPPLEMENTALDRAFT MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 5, 1945' III WKBarfier PatentedFeb. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FIREPLACE WITH SUPPLEMENTALDRAFT MEANS William V. Barber, Norfolk, Va.

Application November 5, 1945, Serial No. 626,663

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to fireplaces, and more particularly to a meansfor ventilating the fireplace.

An object of this invention is to provide in a ing smoke from thefireplace to enter the room.

It is well known that a fireplace draws oxygen from the air in the roomas the fire is being burned, and where a dwelling is provided with tightwindows and doors the air in the room does not contain the usual amountof oxygen, and as a result the fire will not burn properly, andfrequently the fuel will smoke and this smoke will enter the room ratherthan rise upwardly through .the throat of the fireplaceinto the chimney.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a ventilatingmeans for admitting air under either forced draft from a blower, or airfrom the outside of the dwelling or cellar, into the fireplace so thatthe fire will burn evenly and the fuel will not smoke or smoulder as isthe case where there is not sufilcient oxygen in the room to effect aproper burning of the fuel.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ventilating means ofthis kind which can be easily regulated so as to provide for theadmission of air to the front of the fireplace.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ventilating means ofthis kind which can be easily regulated so as to provide for theadmission of air to the front of the fireplace in volume equivalent tothe flow of gases up the chimney so that heated air will not bewithdrawn from the room causing a seepage of cold air into the room.

With the foregoing objects in view, and others which may hereinaftermore fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts as will be more specificallydescribed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein areshown embodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood thatchanges, variations, and modifications may be resorted to which fallwithin th scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detail front elevation, partly in section, of a fireplacehaving a ventilating means incorporated therewith constructed accordingto an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure3.

Referring to the drawings the numeral l0 designates generally afireplace construction embodying side walls II and I2, a hearth orbottom wall 3, and a throat M. The side walls H and I2 have mounted inthe forward ends thereof vertically disposed housings 5 and I6respectively, which may be embedded in the bricks or concrete or othermaterial which forms the fireplace, and these housings l5 and I6preferably have their confronting sides disposed substantially flushwith the inner faces of the side walls [I and I2.

The housing I5 is provided with a series of vertically spaced apartopenings l1, and the housing I6 is provided with a plurality ofvertically disposed spaced apart openings l 8. The openings I1 and I8are directed inwardly of the interior of the fireplace so that airdischarged through such openings will be discharged directly into thecenter of the fireplace.

The upper housing I9 is disposed between the upright housings l5 and 6,and communicates therewith. The housings I5 and I6 are extended belowthe hearth and have disposed therebetween a lower housing whichcommunicates with the two housings l5 and IS. The housing |5 has looselymounted therein a tubular member 2|, which is formed with openings 22adapted for registry with the openings H. The tubular member 2| hasfixed thereto a handle 23 which extends through a slot 24 in the frontwall of the housing |5 so that the tubular member 2| may be moved intoor out of registry with the discharge openings IT.

The housing It has loosely connected therewith a tubular member 25 whichis formed with openings 26 adapted to be placed in registry with theopenings l8, and a handle 21 extending through a slot 28 in the housingIt provides a means whereby the openings 26 may be moved into registryor out of registry with respect to the openings Hi.

The upper housing l9 has loosely mounted therein a tubular member 29which is formed with openings 30 adapted to register with dischargeopenings 3| formed in the lower wall of the housing IS. The ends of thetubular member 29 communicate with the open upper ends of the tubularmembers 2| and 25, through end air chambers 32 and 33. The housing I9 isformed with a slot 34 through which a handle 35 carried by the tubularmember 29 projects so that the tubular member 29 may be adjusted toprovide for the discharge of the desired amount of air through theopenings 3|.

The housing 20 has loosely mounted therein a tubular member 36 which isformed with openings 3! adapted for registry with openings 38 formed inthe top wall of housing 20. A handle 39, fixed to the tubular member 36projects through a slot 40 formed in the top wall of the housing 20, sothat air from the housing 20 may selectively be discharged from thebottom portion of the fireplace into the fuel.

The tubular member 36 communicates at each end with lower air chambers4| and 42a which are formed at the junction of the housings |5,,

Hi and 20.

An air pipe 42 is disposed below the housing 20, and is provided at theopposite ends thereof with upwardly directed branches 43 and 44discharging air into the chambers 4| and 42a respectively. The pipe 42has mounted therein, adjacent each end, manually operable dampers 45 and46 so that air may be directed into the fireplace from either side orfrom both sides.

A blower 41 has outlet side 43 thereof connected with the pipe 42, andthe intake side 49 of the blower is adapted to be connected to a sourceof atmospheric air, which may be in the cellar of the dwelling, or theair may be drawn from the exterior.

In the use and operation of this fireplace, the air intake pipe which isconnected to the blower 41 is extended to the desired point in orderthat air may freely enter the manifold or pipe 42. The tubu1ar members2|, 25, 29 and 36, which constitute valves, may be adjusted to dischargethe desired amount of air into the fireplace and as the openings in thevalve housing are directed inwardly toward the center of the fireplaceso as 4 to provide for the proper burning of the fuel, accumulation ofany smoke in the throat of the fireplace is prevented.

I claim:

In a fireplace, an air supplying means therefor comprising a pair ofvertical housings disposed at each side of the fireplace, upper andlower housings connected to and communicating with the opposite ends ofsaidvertical housings, each of said housings having openings directedinwardly of the fireplace, an elongated tubular valve member in eachhousing extending along the length thereof, an arm carried by each valvemember extending through said housings for retatably adjusting thelatter to regulate the dis- 1 charge of air into the fireplace, aU-shaped manifold connected to the lower ends of said vertical housings,and a blower connected to said manifold. v WILLIAM V. BARBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Great Britain Jan. 22, 1937

